Meet Corrina Ferguson, new editor of Creative Knitting Corrina knits and designs in Florida where there are only about three sweater days per year, but she keeps on knitting and dreams of retiring somewhere where it snows. Corrina is a knitting designer, instructor and technical editor, and author of Warm Days, Cool Knits.

Prac·tice

Condition arrived at by experience or exercise.

The word “condition” I find to be very useful because it leads me to believe that if I were to continue practicing patience again and again, eventually my conditions would be pretty darned good … maybe even totally blissful and content all the time. Hey, sign me up!

If cultivating this state of mind is beneficial, then why is it so hard to develop? Speaking from my own experience, I make it a habit to try every day and if I mess up, I just get back on the horse again. That good old quote: “patience is a virtue” is one that I try to live by and every day my hope is that I’m getting just a little closer to my goal of achieving it.

Let’s take a minute to see how this practice applies to knitting. Here’s my short list of things I’m often confronted with when it comes to my own personal projects:

Working a gauge swatch

Dropping a stitch– that’s enough to put me into a mood

My project looks nothing like the photo

I don’t have enough yarn

This yarn is not as nice as I thought it would be

The yarn in the picture is too expensive!

I’m bored

This yarn is too difficult to work with

I don’t like this stitch pattern

I don’t understand the pattern

Do any of these sound familiar?

Before you cast on that first stitch– remember it’s a great time to cultivate patience. I seriously can’t think of a better way to practice.

4 Responses to The Art of Practicing Patience

I just started a swatch on size 4 of rib (kltbl, pltbl) and I don’t know if it is worth the effort. Patience proved me wrong. However, I am glad it is only for 1-1/2″, although it is 265 stitches for the cardigan. Oh well, I am seeking virtue – right?